City of Tulsa street crews began working at midnight Monday morning in preparation for winter weather. All City of Tulsa street crews were deployed and responding as they run their routes. The City of Tulsa is responsible for clearing snow and ice from the Gilcrease Expressway, L.L. Tisdale Expressway and all arterial (main) streets. Other highway segments in Tulsa are the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
City resources include:
- 62 truck-mounted salt spreaders
- 4 truck-mounted Liquid Applicator Systems for brine
- 48 truck-mounted snow plows (Of the 62 trucks with spreaders, and 4 trucks with Liquid Applicator Systems, 48 have plows.)
- 7 4×4 pick-up trucks equipped with snow plows
- 3 motor graders for use as plows
- 210 employees (including drivers and support staff)
- Approximately 9,500 tons of saltĀ
Crews are assigned to 35 routes totaling 1,770 lane-miles. Spreading and plowing routes are prioritized based on traffic . Once the main streets are cleared and conditions permit, selected residential streets may be treated based on traffic and steepness.
During winter weather response, the first focus is to clear city arterial streets for emergency responders. The second focus is residential or collector streets near hospitals, schools and areas with steep hills.